Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for LOUGHOR

LOUGHOR, a small town, a parish, and a sub-district, in the district of Llanelly and county of Glamorgan. The town stands on the river Loughor and on the Julian way, adjacent to the South Wales railway, 7 miles WNW of Swansea; occupies the site of the Roman station Leucarum; was once a place of considerable note, but now is practically a mere village; had a castle of Henry Beauchamp, built about 1100, taken by the Welsh in 1150, and given by Edward Il. to the Despencers; retains a ruined square tower of the castle; is a borough, nominally governed by a portreeve and 12 aldermen, and uniting with Swansea, Neath, and Kenfigg in sending a member to parliament; ranks as a sub-port to Swansea; and has a station on the railway, and fairs on 2 June and 10 Oct. A modern bridge takes the highway here across the river; and a bridge upwards of a ¼ of a mile long takes across the railway. The Spitty copperworks are on the opposite bank, and give employment to some of the inhabitants. Roman coins and other relics have been found; and two small Roman camps are near. Real property of the town, £1,776; of which £100 are in mines. Pop. in 1851. 821; in 1861,876. Houses, 198. -The parish includes a considerable rural tract; and comprises 3,589 acres of land, and 410 of water. Posttown, Llanelly. Real property, £3,753; of which £600 are in mines. Pop. in 1851,1,099; in 1861,1,238. Houses, 260. The property is not much divided. The living is a rectory in the diocese of St. David's. Value, £180. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is good.—The sub-district contains also Llangennech parish and Berwick hamlet. Pop., 3,970. Houses, 788.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, and a sub-district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Loughor CP/AP       Loughor SubD       Glamorgan AncC
Place: Loughor

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